tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-158567772024-03-13T14:57:25.216+11:00Strewth's Training Blogstrewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.comBlogger1008125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-7459633141675565892017-04-15T21:57:00.000+10:002017-04-15T22:03:43.756+10:00Canberra Marathon Number 16 Done and Dusted!<div style="text-align: justify;">
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One week ago I ran my 16th
Canberra Marathon. It doesn't get easier as the years go by but I am gradually
getting nearer to my ultimate goal of running 20 Canberra Marathons and
becoming a Burley Griffin.<br />
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Training started seriously from 1
January as it does every year for me, my longest run this time being 37km. A
couple of my training weeks were well over 100km and I felt reasonably well
prepared in spite of a constantly niggly hamstring.</div>
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My alarm was set for just before
4am on marathon day and I woke to the sound of the rain steadily falling. It
also felt very cold - not a good omen.<span style="margin: 0px;">
</span>However by the time I arrived at the start line the rain had stopped. It
was still cold but that's not a bad thing when running 42.2km <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>and there was no wind at 6.25am. The first 5km felt
tough as there is a slight hill heading to Parliament House which feels like a
mountain at the start of a long run without a proper warm-up but after that I
found my rhythm and began to feel comfortable. </div>
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It is a pretty course running past
many of <st1:city w:st="on">Canberra</st1:city> icons including Old Parliament
House, new Parliament House, the High Court, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">National</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Art</st1:placename>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Gallery</st1:placename></st1:place>, the National
Library and beside the pretty Lake Burley Griffin.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>For a little while I ran with a girl from
interstate and she commented on the beauty of the surroundings. It made me see
the sights through a visitor's eyes and I felt very lucky to call <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Canberra</st1:city></st1:place> my home. </div>
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At about the 10km mark I ran with
a lady who last year ran seven marathons in seven days and in June will do it
again. She is raising money for Bravehearts, a charity to help abused children.
We ran together for about 10km and she was loads of fun calling out our names
to spectators and keeping me entertained. It certainly helped the time go by. I
lost her when she ran ahead at a water stop but at about 35km I saw her again
and surprisingly I ended up finishing about ten minutes ahead of her. </div>
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During the entire course my Dave
rode his bike and appeared whenever he could calling out encouragement and
keeping me smiling. It was also exciting to be joined by speedygeoff<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>when I had about 7km to go. He ran a few
kilometres with me which boosted my spirits considerably.</div>
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The spectators and volunteers are
what makes a marathon doable. They are the people who keep the competitors
going, who really get us to the finish line. I cannot express my gratitude
enough.</div>
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At about 25km the temperature
dropped even more and the rain returned. It was light and refreshing for a few
kilometres and then the heavens really opened. The last few kms were difficult
especially as the course had been altered a little bit to create an extra loop
which also created an extra 550metres to the total distance! I was very happy
indeed to reach that finish line in the pouring rain and with a huge relieved
smile on my face.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Griffins (those who have run at least ten Canberra Marathons)</td></tr>
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Finish time: 4:43:25 (2 minutes slower than last year)</div>
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Place in age group: 3rd </div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-68844495830113895082016-04-20T22:40:00.001+10:002016-04-20T22:46:45.801+10:00Another Canberra Marathon completed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been twelve months since I last blogged and it is difficult to make that first step back into blogland. It's been a busy, full twelve months with the arrival of two more grandsons and a wonderful trip last winter to Italy and the Greek Islands, running in lots of exotic places. In a few weeks time we are heading for Spain where Mr B will compete in the world duathlon championships at the start of our five week holiday. </div>
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The Canberra Marathon has come and gone again for another year. That makes 15 Canberra marathons successfully completed. I have to say this was probably my toughest marathon and definitely my slowest. I went into it with a very sore leg and at the 5km point I wondered if I would actually complete it but the endorphins kicked in and the competitors, volunteers and spectators kept me going. The weather was perfect and the support as always fabulous. However, I have never been more happy to reach the finish line. It was a very long 42.2km. A week and a half later I am still sore although I have not run, but walked every day with my dog and done cross training such as swimming, body balance and stretching. </div>
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I have no doubt that I will endeavour to be back to do it all again next year.<br />
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Postscript: The official results tell me that I came 2nd in my age group out of 11 in a time of 4hours 41minutes which is 5 minutes slower than last year but in a better position! Now to start running again!</div>
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<br />strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-9129848049002559702015-04-15T22:38:00.001+10:002015-04-15T22:38:12.144+10:00Canberra Marathon Number 14<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a rather traumatic few days another Canberra Marathon has come and gone. Last Wednesday night our little 12 year old granddaughter was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This was a very scary experience for everybody but she was finally sent home last night after almost a week. Now the tough times will really begin with a steep learning curve of management.</div>
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However on Sunday it was time to focus on the marathon although this little princess was on my mind every step of the way. </div>
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It was difficult to struggle out of bed at 4am on Sunday to prepare for a 6.25am very chilly start but the conditions were perfect for my 14th Canberra marathon and my 4th one running as a Griffin. The atmosphere was wonderful with positive vibes and excited voices everywhere. Although I had my ipod shuffle attached I think I only had the music turned on for about 10km of the 42.195km run. There were runners to chat to and spectators, supporters and volunteers to keep me motivated. In fact I really enjoyed my morning.</div>
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This marathon course is challenging to say the least. It is much hillier than the previous course but incorporates lots of lovely Canberra icons and there were even hot air balloons floating overhead at one point. Griffin Thommo, who had already run in the Anzac Ultra during the week, was running with his first time marathoner brother and kept stopping to take photos on the way and kept me entertained. I was well ahead of the 4:30 pacer for two thirds of the way and then somehow both the pacers crept past me and I realised my finishing goal time was slipping away. For the last 10km my left hamstring was very painful and it probably slowed me down somewhat but I was so happy to have Mr B and Richard out there on their bikes supporting me and appearing at different spots just when I needed encouragement. As I approached Yarralumla speedygeoff appeared and ran with me for several kilometres and Ewen was there running ahead and taking photos too. Just as I headed towards Weston Park there was Jen with all her children cheering me on! It was so exciting having friends popping up all over the place.</div>
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I have to say that the volunteers did an amazing job and everything went smoothly. Thank you to Margaret, Gwen and Ron who were helping at Black Mountain peninsular and Kathy at about the 27km mark. The course may be undulating and challenging but it is also pretty and interesting. In the last few kilometres I was delighted to see Janene encouraging me in to the finish and giving me a little spurt of energy to get me over the line, sore, tired and very happy. It was a good day. The sun appeared through the clouds after the run had finished - such good timing.</div>
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Later I indulged in the best post marathon breakfast ever and a relaxing radox bubble bath - bliss!</div>
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The official results say that I came 5th in my W60-69 age group out of 17 in a time of 4:36:14 which is, I believe, my slowest Canberra Marathon time yet but all that really matters is that I finished and I'm still smiling! Thank you to all my wonderful friends for your support and most especially to my greatest supporter of all, the very patient Mr B.</div>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-62962760392068817672015-04-05T22:30:00.000+10:002015-04-05T22:30:09.637+10:00Back to Jogalong on Easter Sunday<div style="text-align: justify;">
With only a week to go until the Canberra Marathon I am now in taper mode. However, this morning, on Easter Sunday and with no more daylight saving, I had a text from friend Margaret suggesting we run the jogalong at Weston Park today. I haven't done this run for several years. It's a women's and girls' handicapped 6km run held on the first Sunday of each month and it was such fun to meet up with lots of running buddies, some of whom have been running this event for many, many years. Way back in the 90's I ran over 50 of these runs and even had a t-shirt to prove it but somehow other events got in the way, the course moved location several times and I just never returned. I had forgotten what a great well-organised run this is and will return to do it again, possibly next month.</div>
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I ran off from the same handicap as Margaret, Group 27 and interestingly finished in 27th place in a time of 35minutes 49seconds. In 2003 I ran the 6km in 31minutes on a different course and probably a more difficult one. I realise 12 years later I have slowed down considerably! </div>
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Since my last post I have also run the Weston Creek Half Marathon and managed to better my last year's time by 2 minutes. My time was still a slow 2hours 9 minutes but I felt comfortable and happy for the majority of the run although my left hamstring still twinged at times as it did again today. I just hope I can get through the marathon without mishap!</div>
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My last long run was the week after the half and track season has now finished too. This Easter weekend has been full of lovely family activities and tomorrow Mr B and I are taking two of our grandchildren to the folk festival held annually over Easter in Canberra. This is somewhere else we haven't been for many years. Nothing like a few different activities to keep life interesting!</div>
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Now for countdown - seven more sleeps! It never gets easier!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Our 8 year old grandson running a PB at Parkrun with his dad</td></tr>
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<br />strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-52529276449942667242015-03-17T21:29:00.001+11:002015-03-17T21:29:36.129+11:00Starting the week the right way!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Monday I tried a new class at the gym so that I could join Miranda. It was a crossworks/balance class. The first half concentrated on abs and upper body strength using fitness bands. The second half was a speeded up body balance class. There was some difficult stretching and twisting involved in the first half of the class and I think I may have pulled something so I may give this class a miss until after the marathon. I have managed to book a few remedial massages over the next few weeks starting tomorrow. I am a bit sore in places! I could be more sore after the massage!</div>
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I made it to the early speedygeese warm up run with Miranda and speedygeoff before the main session where there was another good turnout. Jen had run the 45km Six Foot Track in the weekend and needed to recover so she took photos from the side which worked out well. We were divided initially into teams of three and had zigzag relays down the grassy bank and up the straights. In the first half we ran down the diagonals where we were tagged by our team member then ran as fast as we could up the straights. While waiting to be tagged we jogged across the short ends of the oval shaped bank. For the second half of our session we were divided into teams of two (I stayed with Susan) and we had an extra length to run which meant we ran fast down the diagonals and up the straights before we were tagged. It's always a fun session and this was no exception. After our cool down most of us headed for dinner at the yacht club - a lovely social evening.</div>
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Total distance: <strong>10km</strong></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miranda, speedygeoff and strewth heading back to Parliament House</td></tr>
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This morning I ran down to Lake Ginninderra and around it and back the same way to make a total of <strong>15km</strong> - a good way to start the day before my afternoon shift at work.strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-7120480363140798332015-03-15T23:29:00.003+11:002015-03-15T23:29:58.241+11:00Only Four Weeks to Marathon Day!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last week I ran my long run (<strong>34km</strong>) on Friday and we headed for Sydney straight afterwards. Marg joined me for 17km of my run which was great as it broke it up a bit and it's always lovely to have company. I ran from home to Gungahlin and Marg and I ran round Yerrabi Pond (where the Gungahlin Parkrun is held) and round the Crace loop (another newish suburb in Gungahlin). Then I ran home adding a little extra loop on the way.</div>
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Home, shower and then off to Sydney for The Eagles concert at Homebush. It was amazing. They sang all the old songs and we loved every minute of it. We stayed with our daughter and her husband in Waterloo for a couple of nights and managed a 9km run next morning including Centennial Park. On the Saturday evening we all went to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. It was loads of fun.</div>
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My total distance for the week was <strong>84km</strong>.</div>
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This week I stuck to my program much more rigidly. It's my last really hard week as next weekend I have a half marathon event to run which means my long run is shorter.</div>
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As Monday was Canberra Day and a public holiday here our speedygeese session was held in a different venue at Yarralumla. I arrived at 4.30pm as did Miranda, speedygeoff and Dan which meant we were able to do a warm up of 6km before the main session. We used the oval for our main session which, after our warmup run, was a session of 40secs sprints on 2 mins with a jog between for a a total of 20minutes. We finished with a cool down run and had a bit of fun throwing a Frisbee around before jogging back to our cars.</div>
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On Tuesday I headed for Bruce Ridge where I ran hill fartleks of 2 x 60secs/60 float, 4 x 30/30, 2 x 60/60, 4 x 30/30 and 2 x 60/60. I then crossed the road to O'Connor Ridge where I managed to get a bit lost and had to ask directions to lead me back to the cycle track and run home again completing 17km before my afternoon work shift.</div>
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On Wednesday it was still dark when I headed out for my 13k run and I needed a headlight as I had to fit the run in before a full day at work.</div>
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Thursday it was back to the track where I took part in the 3000m fitness walk and the 3000m run with some jogging inbetween events to make up my distance of 9km altogether. I also did a Body Balance class with Miranda at another branch of my gym. It was a much bigger and more modern area than my usual gym and I really enjoyed it. </div>
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On Saturday I ran my long run leaving home before 6.30am, when it was just starting to get light, I ran to Lake Burley Griffin and on reaching the lake the first person I saw was Roger who is training for the Paris Marathon. It was a morning of seeing everyone. Next was Maria who is also training for Paris and she had Peter cycling beside her. Next sighting was Liz running with a cyclist friend nearby. I also spotted Bob on his bike a couple of times. I ran West Basin including the extra Weston Park loop which is very pretty. Being early the hot air balloons were hovering overhead in the early sunrise. It was a beautiful sight. As I left the lake and headed home again it was a nice surprise to find that Mr B had cycled down on his mountain bike to meet me and ride the last 7km home where he suggested I run another 600m to round up my distance. I thought it was only me that did that. Anyway I ended up running <strong>36km</strong> but I wasn't exactly fast. I must admit though that I didn't feel too sore and although I have been a bit tired and very hungry all weekend I feel more positive about the forthcoming marathon. It may be a slow one but I have more confidence in finishing it at least.</div>
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This morning (Sunday) was another early start as Mr B was competing in the ACT Triathlon Championships Olympic distance which is now known as the standard distance triathlon. It was a very cool morning and the wind picked up making the water choppy. CJ was also competing and Ewen joined me to cheer them on. We managed to squeeze in a 9km run while they were out on the bike leg. It was fun as we had a good view of the cyclists when we ran offroad beside them.</div>
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They both did well in not ideal conditions. It was an inspiring event altogether.</div>
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Total distance for week:<strong> 96.5km</strong> (I should have run that extra 500m if I had only realised)!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Ridge - kangaroo in distance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balloons over Lake Burley Griffin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pka2412PL38/VQV2E337weI/AAAAAAAAD6w/vTI1cgIBTWE/s1600/Mardi%2BGras%2BParade%2BSydney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pka2412PL38/VQV2E337weI/AAAAAAAAD6w/vTI1cgIBTWE/s1600/Mardi%2BGras%2BParade%2BSydney.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mardi Gras Parade Sydney</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mardi Gras Parade</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telstra Tower in the distance on my long run</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A competitor checking out swim start at triathlon</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-1703587130184926422015-03-01T22:47:00.001+11:002015-03-01T22:47:33.000+11:00Women's and Girls' Fun Run<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Thursday night I met up with Marg some time before the track events were due to start and we went for a 5km warm up run on O'Connor Ridge behind the AIS. It would have been pleasant just to continue running there but we had to return to take part in a few events. Somehow I was roped into running in the mile run (something I don't normally do) and immediately after it finished I lined up for the 2000m fitness walk. To finish the evening I ran the 3000m run. It was a combined meet with the ACT Athletics club which included some very young, extremely fast competitors - a little intimidating to be lapped several times but quite exciting too knowing the potential of some of these bright young runners setting incredible PBs.</div>
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As this was my pull-back week I only ran a total of 20km for my Saturday long run this week and included the local Parkrun after the first 7km warm up. I ran my slowest time ever and after running another 3km with the lovely company of friend Bron, I ran the remaining 5km home feeling just a tad sore and disappointed in myself. My left foot has been troubling me for a while indicating plantar fasciitis which concerns me somewhat with only six weeks until the marathon.</div>
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Today (Sunday) I ran in the annual Women's and Girls' Fun Run in support of a cure for ovarian cancer. There were 762 finishers. It was a rather strange day weather wise. At times it was really hot but when the sun went behind the clouds it was quite pleasant. Fortunately for the majority of the run the conditions were perfect. I finished in a time of 28:13 and was 7th in my age group out of 40 finishers. Not great but a few seconds faster than when I last ran this event in 2013 and I felt a whole lot better today than I did yesterday.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ewen and I on duty at the February ACT Veteran's Monthly Handicap</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-73006444967376346852015-02-25T21:44:00.000+11:002015-02-25T21:44:27.255+11:00February Fun<div style="text-align: justify;">
Considerable time has passed and a lot of kilometres have been run since I last posted at the start of February! <br />
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In the first weekend of February I took part in the Sprint Marathon Relay. This is held annually and organised by one of our amazing vets, Jim. It is always good fun and this year was no exception. We were put into 9 teams of 6 runners and each runner had to run from one spot to the next (either 1 or 2km usually) passing the baton to the next person in their team. There is quite a gap between runners where one can go for a jog while waiting or socialise with all the other team members waiting for their respective runners and cheering everyone on. It was great weather for the event if a little hot but we were lucky with lots of shady trees. The lake track was very busy with cyclists and other runners but fortunately there were no collisions!<br />
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Ewen was the official photographer and he did a great job!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The following Friday (13th) Mr B and I drove through to Melbourne as he was competing in the Australian Triathlon Champs there on Sunday. We had a pleasant trip and stayed in a basic but adequate apartment in St Kilda about 4km from the start. For the first nine years of my life I lived in a little suburb called St Kilda in Dunedin in the South Island of New Zealand. It too is a coastal town but very different from St Kilda in Melbourne! I remember trolley buses in the St Kilda where I was a child but in St Kilda, Melbourne there are trams and tramlines everywhere making transportation very easy and convenient. (As a point of interest there is no actual Saint Kilda. The name is purported to originate from a corruption of the Old Norse<strong> </strong>name for the spring on Hirta, Childa in Scotland). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I digress! On the Saturday morning I rose very early after checking out a route the day before, and ran along a track mainly beside the ocean in one direction and then changing direction for a total of 33km. When I stepped out the door in the very early hours of the morning the rain was falling very heavily. On the Friday evening there had been lightning and thunder and heavy driving rain as we walked to a local restaurant for dinner but at least the storm had subsided by Saturday and instead it was just steady rain although I had to battle a head wind. The rain subsided for about an hour in the middle of the run but returned to just a light drizzle for the remainder of the run which was actually quite a pleasant cooling relief.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">On Sunday morning I ran to the start of the triathlon while Mr B cycled. It was only 4km so I continued on for another 4km while Mr B racked his bike and was numbered up. It was such a different day weather-wise to the day before. The sun shone and the weather was warm. The ocean only had a slight ripple and basically the conditions were almost perfect for a sprint distance triathlon. Mr B had a good race, no podium finish but a good experience and certainly it appears he has enough points to make him eligible for the world triathlon championships in Chicago later in the year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since returning from Melbourne on Tuesday last week we have experienced some very hot weather in Canberra. Running has continued, with a middle distance run last Wednesday of 20km, track races and a very long run of 34km on Saturday which proved to be rather a disaster. I was really struggling with the humidity even though I had left home by 6.30am. I really do not want to feel like that on marathon day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sunday was the Vets Handicap but as I was on roster I only ran a short 6km run with Ewen before the event so as not to miss out entirely and to keep my legs moving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Speedygeese on Monday at Parliament House was hot. As I pulled up in the carpark the temperature read 31deg. After our warm up we had a really tough session of 400m intervals including a nasty hill towards the finish. There were 20 of us which was a great turnout but oh boy it was hard and hot! And then at about 10.30pm that night it rained. As soon as I heard it pelting down I ran outside just to stand in the cool air and smell the rain - oh so lovely! Pity it was so short lived.</span> <br />
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This is my easy week in theory and today's run was only 13km. Before I met Marg for the last half of the run I incorporated some fartlek sprints of 2 x 60sec with 60sec float and 2 x 30sec with 30sec floats twice. Marg and I ran round Crace and later enjoyed a lovely coffee. And just after I hung out the washing it started to rain! It lasted all of ten minutes after which I took Teddy for a lovely walk on the trails at the back of our suburb.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sprint marathon relay</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A birthday treat for Marg's birthday this month</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Kilda Beach run</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr B at the start of the sprint triathlon in St Kilda</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in St Kilda</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-13641683917966040632015-02-03T22:41:00.002+11:002015-02-03T22:41:07.129+11:00Speedygeese and some cross training<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Monday I arrived at speedygeese about 25mins before the start to find speedycathy stretching in the carpark. I encouraged her to go for a gentle warm up run with me before the main session and we managed 3.4km before heading back to meet all the speedygeese waiting to start. We ran a warm up loop and then headed for the rose garden. Our main session was 10 x 400m loops with 200m fast on the straight, jogging back to the start for a very short rest before the whistle each time. The speedier geese ran on 2:30 and the rest of us ran on 3mins. We finished with a cool down jog. </div>
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Total distance including early warm up: <strong>11km</strong></div>
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speedygeese on a cool down on a hill training run recently (photo by Ewen)</div>
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Today (<strong>Tuesday</strong>) is my cross training day. This morning, before work, I swam 1km at the pool and when I arrived home after work it was such a beautiful evening that Mr B and I went for a cycle from home and round the lake. Now I haven't been on my bike for well over 12 months so I even had to relearn the gears. I definitely felt like I was doing a work out and enjoyed the challenge.</div>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-16219498310958468142015-02-02T07:23:00.001+11:002015-02-02T07:23:17.255+11:00Centenary Trail Stage 3<div style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I had such a lovely day today. It started with a very pleasant, tough but enjoyable run and walk on the third stage of the Canberra Centenary Trail with Margaret. We met at Hall Village, left my car there and drove Marg's car to Mulligans Flat carpark from where we started our run. We ran to the official start point of the third stage start of the Centenary Trail located at the Northern Border Campsite which is a few kilometres off-road from Forde. The conditions were perfect - overcast, cool and wind free. It was rougher and hillier than we expected and took us a few hours to complete just over 20km. Along the way we saw lots of mountain bike riders and curious kangaroos. It was such a pretty course. We incorporated a climb up to One Tree Hill and the view was glorious. From there it was all downhill back to Hall Village. After a quick freshen up we crossed the road to the monthly Hall Markets and enjoyed gozleme and a coffee before checking out the markets.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmXBI9f6xHU/VM6Kow81H1I/AAAAAAAADy4/XFouYxFw7yI/s1600/photo%2B1%2B(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mmXBI9f6xHU/VM6Kow81H1I/AAAAAAAADy4/XFouYxFw7yI/s1600/photo%2B1%2B(6).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>In the afternoon Mr B and I had fun celebrating a friend's 60th and catching up with lots of friends we hadn't seen for ages. I have also started February's challenge - an alcohol free month!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret climbing the last of the 191 steps to One Tree Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempting a selfie!</td></tr>
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On <strong>Sunday</strong> the first monthly handicap of the year was held at Campbell Park. It was a new out and back.course this year. It was a bit rough in parts but there were only a couple of tough hills and it wasn't too bad although it was rather hot and muggy. I had been re-handicapped several groups due to winning a silver medal at the last handicap of the year in November which meant that from Group 23 I had little chance of placing in the top half. In fact I came in at 76th which was a pretty poor effort. I didn't walk at all but I guess my pace was pretty slow, probably due to tired legs perhaps after yesterday's very long 34km run. The longer run for the handicap was only 6km so was over fairly quickly!</div>
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It was fun catching up with everyone and a group of us enjoyed great coffee afterwards in Ainslie.</div>
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This brought my total distance for the week to <strong>81km.</strong></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campbell Park Handicap - that's me at the back!</td></tr>
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There are less than <strong>11 weeks to go</strong> until the Canberra Marathon and this week is my easy week.</div>
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On <strong>Tuesday </strong>I took Teddy with me on a gentle 10km run from home. The temperatures this week are much cooler than we have been experiencing lately. Running is much more pleasant! <br />
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<strong>Wednesday</strong> I managed a slightly faster pace for a 12km mid week run. It feels a bit strange not running further for my middle distance run but I'm sticking to the shorter distances this week to freshen the legs.<br />
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On <strong>Thursday </strong>I entered the 1500m fitness walk at track and the 10,000m run championships. I needed some distance but wondered if I should perhaps have just stuck to the 3,000m at the beginning of the evening. However, my late arrival time made my decision for me and 10,000m it had to be, a bit of a last minute decision! Ewen lap scored for me and I finished in 57:20 managing to come in ahead of three others. It's always debatable when I start as to whether I will come in last so that was a relief! I wore my newest Hoka Cliftons making a spur of the moment decision to ring Mr B to bring them to me and changing out of my track shoes. I'm not sure if they helped or hindered but I did have a sore foot and thought perhaps it was better not to feel the ground too much. There was a nasty head wind on one side of the track which may have slowed me a little. As I started my last 400m I made Bryan my target. He was just ahead of me and as I came into the final strait we were neck and neck and I put on a sprint. What I didn't realise was that he had another lap to go but at least he made me push myself at the end! Because it was a championship event and I was the only female in my age group I scored a gold medal! Woo hoo!<br />
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On <strong>Friday</strong> I just went to a Body Balance class at the gym and took Teddy for his daily walk which I made a bit longer than usual, but no running was involved. Instead Mr B and I went to see Still Alice at the movies in the afternoon - a moving and thought provoking experience.<br />
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This morning (<strong>Saturday</strong>) Dave and I decided to join Margaret at the Gungahlin Parkrun instead of our local one. After only a 1km warm up my legs felt stiff and sore. However they loosened up a bit during the run and in fact I managed a 35sec PB for that particular course finishing in 28:02. I still can't beat my PB from Ginninderra but one day perhaps! The conditions were ideal this morning - cool, crisp and not windy. Later Marg, Mr B and I headed for the local Italian café and enjoyed great coffee, food and the excellent company of Julia, Janene and Gregg, a very pleasant interlude indeed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr B at Parkrun</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strewth!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janene</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZa0kFU5Bzg/VMyp7ZUhhcI/AAAAAAAADwg/LuJOiDkkwEU/s1600/Gungahlin%2BParkrun%2BMarg%2BJan%2B2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZa0kFU5Bzg/VMyp7ZUhhcI/AAAAAAAADwg/LuJOiDkkwEU/s1600/Gungahlin%2BParkrun%2BMarg%2BJan%2B2015.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marg racing to the finish while very speedy Janene does her cool down!</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-83082887685601966762015-01-24T23:01:00.001+11:002015-01-24T23:01:20.787+11:00Logging up the kilometres!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I knew if I didn't blog every day that I would get behind again and sure enough another week has gone. Thank goodness for training diaries or I would never remember what I had done this week!</div>
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Last <strong>Saturday(17th) </strong> I ran from home to Lake Burley Griffin and met Miranda and speedygeoff who were running from the Ferry Terminal. I joined them for their run toward the east past Molonglo Reach and down towards the airport track before returning to the ferry terminal. For some reason my stamina disappeared and I just lost my oomph and knew nothing would be achieved by attempting to run any further. Instead speedygeoff gave me a ride home after I had run <strong>25km.</strong></div>
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Next morning (<strong>Sunday</strong>) was another early start as Mr B was taking part in the ACT Sprint Triathlon Championships and I was doing the run leg (only <strong>5km</strong>) for CJ. It was a lot of fun being part of this event and our team did really well thanks to CJ's amazing cycling and swimming ability! After the event was over we headed over the bridge for a coffee and joined some friends there for a lovely little social gathering.</div>
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<strong>Monday </strong>morning was my Body Pump class (strength work which included far too many lunges and squats with weights until my knees were hurting). In the afternoon I managed to arrive at speedygeese in time to run the 4km warm up again. The main session was made up of 24 minutes of hill repeats through the tunnel by the lake and up a steep grassy incline to a cone where we turned and jogged back. I did a couple of short cuts as I was very aware that I had a track session to go to after training. The night had been changed this week and as the spiral handicap was being held I didn't want to miss out. After a warm down loop (giving the session total <strong>11km</strong>) I headed straight for the track and took part in the 4 lap spiral. There were not many taking part so it was a good opportunity to gain a few extra points!</div>
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<strong>Tuesday</strong> I managed a 1.2km swim although the first few laps were interrupted when I had to keep adjusting my goggles - very frustrating!</div>
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On <strong>Wednesday</strong> I rose early to fit in an <strong>18km</strong> run before work. It was disappointingly slow even though I hadn't run the day before. I just ran down to Lake Ginninderra, round the lake and back home via Giralang with an extra km past the tunnel to give me the distance.</div>
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<strong>Thursday</strong> I ran<strong> 10km</strong> and included 10 x 1minute hill sprints aiming to get a little further each time. It was tough but I actually felt better than the previous day.</div>
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On<strong> Fridays</strong> I always do a Body Balance class if I'm not rostered on to work. It's a great way to include stretching and flexibility. I have also been including the January challenge in my daily routine, sometimes this is just a brisk walk with Teddy, other times it includes abs, dips and back exercises. There's only another week to go of this.</div>
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And so we reach today (<strong>Saturday</strong>) when I ran my long run. It felt much better than last week. I ran from home to Lake Burley Griffin again but this time I ran the west basin and included the Weston Park loop (a pretty little run)and managed to run back to the ferry terminal and home via Lyneham. After reaching <strong>34km,</strong> however, I walked the last km home. That seemed quite enough. Although I wore a hydration pack today I made the mistake of only filling the side bottles as I knew I could stop at bubblers round the lake. However, next long run I will fill the hydration pack as well as I was really thirsty and it was a very hot, humid run as the morning progressed. I may have started out at 6.30am but because I am so slow it was really hot by the time I finished! Later in the afternoon I took Teddy for his aerobic walk. It was a bit difficult to feel motivated but those pleading eyes made me relent!</div>
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Tomorrow is the vets' handicap run. A sleep in would have been good!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Burley Griffin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">speedygeese training (Ewen's photo)</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-78818486455410458292015-01-16T21:37:00.003+11:002015-01-16T21:40:39.291+11:00A Few Undulations and a Zippy Little Car!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here it is Friday again already and another weekend approaches. Today I had a full day shift at work and used it as my rest day from training apart from Day 16 of the January challenge which I have been following daily. Today included a 90second plank, crunches, leg extensions, superman and dips - all good for strength.</div>
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On <strong>Wednesday</strong> I completed my middle distance run - <strong>17km</strong> including the Lake Ginninderra loop and the long way there and back from home. I started early in the morning to allow plenty of time to prepare for work. It was pretty slow in spite of not having run the day before.</div>
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Yesterday evening, <strong>Thursday</strong>, I ran fartlek on rolling hills selecting North Lyneham Ridge which is off-road and definitely undulating, a total of 10km. I spotted a few cows but only a couple of runners on the trails.! After that run I detoured home to collect Teddy and take him out for another 2km extra run as my additional aerobic exercise for the day, making a total of<strong> 12km</strong>.</div>
Excitingly I also collected my brand new car yesterday - cornflower blue - a little VW Polo. I love it!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving my Car!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It feels like the country so close to suburbia!</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-39579845538719430632015-01-13T22:37:00.004+11:002015-01-13T22:42:16.560+11:00Speedygeese with lots of little goslings!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Each Monday morning, when I don't have a work shift. I take part in a 60 minute Body Pump class at the local gym. It's tough but I am hoping the strength training will translate to improvement in my running. Yesterday was no exception and it hurt but pain is good within reason!</div>
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Late in the afternoon after taking Teddy for his daily brisk walk I managed to arrive at Speedygeese training in time for the early warm up of 4km. There were a few of us running at that time and it was a good way to prepare for the main session 30 minutes later. During the school holidays we have been enjoying the company of some 8-10 year old speedygoslings. It's such fun watching them enjoying themselves and running in the fresh air. Tonight there were enough of us to have three person relay teams running the diagonals on the grassy bank in front of Parliament House. I was in a team with Cathy and Rae (the plus 60 ladies) and it was all good fun. We had 30 minutes of the relays, running the diagonals either up or down and jogging the straights before being tagged. To finish we had a 1.8km warm down loop of Parliament House. I do enjoy those sessions, competitive but fun with a great group of people.</div>
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This morning before work I returned to the pool. It must be more than twelve months since I last went for a proper swim and the first 100m was hard work, especially as I had to stop to adjust my goggles. However, I soon found my rhythm and slowly completed 1km of freestyle. My reward was the spa afterwards - heaven.</div>
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I am going to experiment for the next couple of weeks and cut down on the "junk" kilometres and replace them with some cross training. I'm hoping it will keep me going injury free and maintain my enthusiasm. I certainly won't sacrifice my long or middle distance runs or the important interval, speed and hill sessions. I just want to find out if this works better for me as I need to train smarter.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few speedygeese at a hill repeat session a few months ago</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-20508786125893295242015-01-11T23:00:00.001+11:002015-01-11T23:04:30.155+11:00Greening up Canberra!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today it rained and rained and rained! However, there was no thunder or lightning and it obviously wasn't going to ease off in a hurry. A long run was on my schedule so it had to be done! Out I went to face the elements starting off in a spray jacket which really didn't protect me much at all. I ran down to and round Lake Ginninderra and then ran back towards the tunnel to Gungahlin. The entrance to the tunnel was completely flooded so I did a slight detour to continue on to Nicholls where I ran round the lake there and promptly lost my bearings. As anybody who knows me well would understand I have no sense of direction. Thank goodness for mobile phones. I made a call to Margaret who lives in that area and she set me in the right direction to head towards home. I had run further than I intended and by the time I finished had completed <strong>30.33km</strong>. Talk about a drowned rat - I was so drenched. One thing about running in the rain it keeps you cool. I had no problems with overheating today.</div>
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Everywhere was so green and the ducks were loving the new little lakes created by puddles, supposedly just for them. There were intricate cobwebs woven on the trees at Lake Ginninderra and the drains were overflowing with water. My shoes and socks were sodden as there were many puddles I could not avoid so I splashed through them instead. It was a slow run but time on my legs must be a good thing.</div>
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Late in the afternoon the rain finally eased and I took Teddy out for a brisk walk to fulfil Day 11 of speedygeoff's January challenge. I didn't forget to balance on one leg and touch my toes too.</div>
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This evening Mr B and I enjoyed a delightful French movie at the cinema and I didn't fall asleep!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With LL after the Bowral Parkrun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing the Bowral Parkrun yesterday (photo courtesy of Ewen)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flooded drains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">speedyducks enjoying their new puddles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty cobwebs</td></tr>
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<br />strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-8356808413955054692015-01-10T21:08:00.002+11:002015-01-10T21:23:05.695+11:00Thunder, lightning and a memorable Parkrun at Bowral!<div style="text-align: justify;">
What an interesting week it has been! </div>
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At Speedygeese on <strong>Monday </strong>we ran our intervals under stormy skies and we all ended up drenched! <strong>Tuesday</strong> it was perfect and cool early in the morning for my run with Teddy but when I ran 10km after work it was very hot with just a few raindrops to cool me down. My mid-week run on <strong>Wednesday</strong> stayed rain free but was pretty warm by the time I finished. It was a bit of a struggle running 15km.</div>
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On <strong>Thursday</strong> I ran in the evening to avoid the heat and as my program included hill repeats I decided to run them at North Lyneham Ridge. As I approached the off road ridge I did observe very black clouds above me. However, I continued with my plan and managed to complete 3 x 1 minute hills and 3 x 2 minute hills jogging down the hill between each repeat, before the thunder started rumbling very loudly! As the sky darkened I continued to run around the ridge taking a few wrong turns and feeling just a tad frightened as the lightning flashed and then down came the rain, not just rain but a head wind pelting it against me so that I couldn't see in front of me. I was so relieved when I reached the gate to climb through and head on the cycle path back home with the heavy rain falling on me, thunder roaring and lightning so close it made me jump. I have never been more pleased to reach my doorstep and stumble inside absolutely drenched like a drowned rat! I peeled everything off before heading straight for a hot shower. That is not an experience I am keen to repeat in a hurry!</div>
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A far better experience was the road trip Margaret and I took to Mittagong after work yesterday in order to run the Parkrun at Bowral this morning. This is <a href="http://luckylegs.blogspot.com/">LL</a>'s local Parkrun and Ewen, Jim and Bryan drove from Canberra this morning to run too. Last night it had poured most of the night and as the Parkrun starts and finishes on grass we expected it to be very soggy underfoot. However, it wasn't nearly as bad as expected and it was so much fun to be part of LL's regular run. The narrow grassy start lasted for about 500m and then we ran on a concrete cycle track until the 2.5km turnaround point when we returned the way we came. This is when we realised that the path sloped slightly downhill as we ran out and the slight incline was quite noticeable on the return culminating in a steep little finish on the grassy slope. Not being used to grass or concrete all of us Canberrans had slower times than usual. However, Margaret smashed the previous W65 record so that was fantastic. We plan to return to repeat the experience in a few months. I need to train more so that I can beat the W60 record. They are such a friendly, welcoming group of Parkrunners. My favourite part of the morning was definitely the excited greeting Norma gave us when she arrived and spotted us. It was indeed a memorable event.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LL and her Canberra friends after the Bowral Parkrun</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olive Groves at Grandma's Little Bakery in Collector</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret in the arbor overlooking the gardens at Grandma's Little Bakery</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-5591708837010293842015-01-04T18:40:00.000+11:002015-01-04T18:40:18.923+11:00Another Canberra hot summer's day!<div style="text-align: justify;">
During 2014 I enjoyed taking part in the 5km Parkrun which falls at 8am every Saturday morning.<br /> I don't run it every week as I enjoy having company on my long runs which often means a clash with Parkrun. However, yesterday I ran Parkrun at Gungahlin (my home run is Ginninderra) and found lots of different fellow parkrunners there. It was stinking hot at that time which resulted in a slower time than I would have liked but I will give that course another go later in the year as it is flatter than my home run.</div>
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A long run was therefore on the schedule for today and I decided to run at Lake Burley Griffin which I haven't done for months, Ewen accompanied me on the last 10km of my 23km run which I started in the cool at 6.45am. However by the time we met up the temperature had soared resulting in a very slow time over all. Maybe I need to start even earlier to avoid this problem.</div>
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Ewen and I spotted lots of familiar faces out there including some friends who are in training for the Paris Marathon in April. In the early part of my run I also spotted lots of cute bunnies. I know they are a pest but I do love them.</div>
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This afternoon we had a little relief from the high temperatures when the stormy grey clouds actually produced some much needed rain!</div>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-59058815599316625442015-01-03T18:07:00.001+11:002015-01-03T18:07:58.535+11:00New Year - New Start! <div style="text-align: justify;">
My poor little Blog has been corrupted, probably through lack of attention, but thanks to the advice of speedygeoff I have finally managed to sort the problem and now I will make a fresh start for 2015. Happy New Year to all who wander here. Here's to a healthy, happy and injury free year.</div>
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My Marathon training has begun again for the Canberra Marathon in April. I have sourced my old program and hopefully I can keep up the training without injury. I do enjoy trail running but have a bad habit of tripping over and have permanently scarred knees.</div>
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I ran at the Cotter last weekend with a group of lovely running mates and enjoyed the scenery so much. The water is rising and the original route is no longer possible to run but there are many interesting trails. I will run there again during the course of my training but I am very slow on those hills!</div>
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On Wednesday I ran 21km on the bitumen - not my favourite surface but the marathon will be on road so I do have to consider that when training. In the meantime I have been faithfully following our speedy leader's November, December and now January 30 day exercise challenges. I need all the help I can get! </div>
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<br />strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-27333102027953403002013-11-25T15:40:00.000+11:002013-11-25T15:42:38.998+11:00Exploring New York<div style="text-align: justify;">
On Monday, the day after the marathon, Mr B, CJ and I met up with KT (from Melbourne)and her hubby for a farewell breakfast as they were heading off to Vegas that afternoon. It had been lovely to catch up with them on the other side of the world and share experiences. Later Mr B and I packed our bags and headed off to a guest house on the East side of NY. Our room was several floors up but fortunately our host met us and helped carry our bags. Our Canberra friends were on the floor below us which was great. That evening the five of us enjoyed a great middle Eastern meal together in our new local area.</div>
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We had another week in NY but as it was CJ's last night on Tuesday we decided to go to a show. We took the subway to Times Square that day and bought cheap tickets for Kinky Boots. The five of us went together and found it lots of fun. Later we finally had our celebratory drink at a pub nearby.</div>
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It was sad to say goodbye to CJ next day when she flew off to Paris. </div>
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Over the next few days we explored New York City, Madison Square, took long walks in Central Park, browsed the shopping centres and enjoyed a beautiful meal at Brasserie Les Halles in Park Avenue, where famous chefs have trained, with our daughter Em and her fiancé who arrived in NY a few days before we left. They had been celebrating her 30th in Vegas!</div>
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We had a great time exploring Greenwich, SoHo and the Chelsea Markets. We walked the High Line on a very cold day which required buying a beanie first! We had lots of lovely meals with our Canberra friends including one memorable one in Little Italy. We also had an opportunity to spend some time with Em & Court, shops, pubs and meals.</div>
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We spent a long time at the Guggenheim Museum but our favourite visit was probably the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). (Thanks for the recommendation LL). Coffee has improved so much in the past four years when we were last in NY. I have enjoyed many great coffees in NY this time and some beautiful meals.</div>
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On our last full day in NY, a week after the marathon, I went for my first run - an 8km undulating run with Mr B, taking in some of the north side of Central Park and a few hilly detours. It was pretty and I felt happy although a little sad to know we were leaving this great city next day.</div>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-27206332576537797692013-11-17T15:02:00.000+11:002013-11-18T01:16:34.351+11:00The New York Experience!<div style="text-align: justify;">
For some months I have been training for the New York marathon. This training has been encumbered somewhat by lower back pain caused by the sciatic nerve and recurring problems with my left hamstring. Early in my training I decided I would follow a walk running program and followed this for some weeks. I even downloaded Jeff Galloway's book on my iPad and read it with interest. However, after several visits to the physio, gradually I was able to run more than walk and eventually returned to speedygeese training and resumed running training for the forthcoming NY marathon.</div>
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The plan to run this marathon took place about 16 months ago, while we were in Turkey, when our friends emailed us to suggest that we go with Travelling Fit which meant making the decision way back then! It has been a big build up which has finally come to fruition.</div>
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We left Canberra for New York on 30 October arriving on the same day! It was great being able to fly in the company of several friends who were also taking part in the marathon, including CJ.</div>
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Next day we collected our race numbers and spent lots of time and money at the extensive expo, before heading for Times Square. This being Halloween we were treated with some fantastic costumes being worn everywhere that evening. It seemed that nearly everyone was dressed in the spirit of the occasion and there were lots of brightly cut out pumpkins and pumpkin lanterns in the shop windows or in market places.</div>
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On Friday we met up with the Travelling Fit crew and did a familiarisation run in Central Park and through the finish line of the marathon. Later after checking out local running stores CJ, Mr B and I went by boat to visit The Statue of Liberty and afterwards we visited the 9/11 memorial. It was a lot to cram in to one day, so much to think about. The memorial had not been built when we were last in NY in 2009.</div>
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Marathon Day turned out to be the coldest day in New York since April! We had to meet at 5.45am in the hotel foyer which meant our alarm was set at the ungodly hour of 4am to give CJ and I plenty of time to get organised. The buses set off for the venue at 6am. We met up with another Canberra friend on our bus and it was a great way to keep distracted on the journey. The roads closed at 7am which was why we had to leave so early. The start was from Staten Island and here we went to our various corales. Sadly I was in a different coloured group from my mates and thus filled in time by running up and down to keep warm and making several visits to the loo to relieve the nerves more than anything else! There was four hours of waiting involved! It was freezing and on top of my singlet and shorts I wore a long sleeved top, a jacket, trackie pants, beanie and gloves plus a plastic cape. Even with all that gear I still had to keep moving to keep warm.<br />
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Eventually my wave was called to the line to head for the start. However there was a bit of a language problem (not mine) and a large group of us were not allowed past the rope until the last wave was due to start. It was most frustrating! As I stood waiting in line a gentleman approached me and said, "hi there you sold me my shoes at The Runners Shop"! Yes he was an Aussie from Canberra and we were very pleased to see each other. What a small world! It was great to have company for the next ten minutes before we were finally herded to the start area.<br />
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The run started with the bridge from Staten Island to the mainland. I threw away my top layers but kept on one long sleeved top, gloves and beanie until we were over the bridge. As we approached the end of the bridge I could hear a low buzz which increased to a roar and then we were in the open and suddenly there were hundreds of screaming spectators. It was awesome. All along the way the spectator support was amazing. It just carried me along and the first 20km seemed to fly by. I would like to be able to say that the rest of the run felt like that but after all a marathon is still 42.2km no matter how much support there is and later in the run I started to feel the pain in my hamstring, stitch in my side which kept recurring and general niggles which are par for the course really. I managed to drop my jellybeans and gu chomps so I only had gu gels on the way. I sipped water at every second drink station but never felt too dehydrated until near the end.<br />
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We ran through the five boroughs and a lot of the run has since become a blur but I do clearly remember running through the Jewish community in Brooklyn where the men were dressed in their long black coats and tall top hats and were totally oblivious to what was happening around them.<br />
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There were bands and music all along the way except on the bridges where no spectators were allowed although on one bridge a Scottish piper led a band to keep us entertained. It truly was an amazing experience with nearly 50,000 finishers and thousands and thousands of spectators everywhere you looked, high fiving us, cheering us on by name, holding up signs and always encouraging us. As I finally reached the finish line I felt fantastic. I knew it was my slowest time ever for a marathon but I managed to raise my arms and smile for the camera. I had achieved a dream, I had held since our last visit to New York four years ago, ticked another box on my bucket list, yes I had run New York marathon and that was a great feeling!<br />
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I have to add that after crossing the line the cold set in again. A medal was placed around my neck, a photo was taken, we were shuffled on to collect a food bag, given a foil wrap for some warmth, and then we walked again for what seemed ages before being wrapped in a lovely warm bright orange cape. This didn't help the shivering bare legs but certainly helped the upper body. I drank the supplied sports drink, chewed on a protein bar and gradually started to feel a little more human.<br />
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I was so happy to see Mr B at the appointed meeting place. He walked me back to the hotel which was ages away before returning to meet CJ while I sunk into a blissful hot bath!<br />
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Marathon 14 done and the holiday begins!<br />
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Stats:<br />
Time taken: 4hours 39mins<br />
Average pace per km: 6:36<br />
Calories burned: 2460<br />
Second half 7mins slower than first half!<br />
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-24199780713325938422013-06-14T22:40:00.000+10:002013-06-14T23:01:58.448+10:00Inclement Weather!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Brrr, it's been cold, wet and windy over the past few days. On Wednesday I had the afternoon shift at work and it rained and it rained. In the morning, just by way of a change, I went to a Cross Training class at the gym. It was a mix of cardio, weights and abs work and was quite challenging. It was a good workout and quite different from what I usually do. </div>
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On Thursday all sportsgrounds were closed due to the recent steady rain. I worked until 2pm when I met Ewen for a coffee catch up before driving home to take Teddy out with me for my run. I was lucky in my timing as we avoided the rain. It was a good run and we both enjoyed it.</div>
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<b>Total distance: 7km</b></div>
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This morning I went to my usual Friday Body Balance class for necessary stretching. Of course Teddy still had his long walk with me this afternoon. It was not a very pleasant day but there were only a few drops of rain as we walked.</div>
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Tomorrow the plan is to run a longer run incorporating the Parkrun. Fingers crossed the weather isn't too unkind.</div>
strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-30717930363985777862013-06-11T21:55:00.002+10:002013-06-11T21:55:49.027+10:00My 1000th Post<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wow, I've finally reached 1,000 posts for this blog. It's taken a few years! This morning it was cold and bleak outside, a day for catching up with things around the house, but as mid-day approached the sun came out and it was time to take Teddy out. It was stunning at that time of day and he had a great off lead run on the grass and in and out of the drains.</div>
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I made it to Speedygeese at Dickson Oval by 5.10pm and managed to fit in a large loop outside the oval giving me a good warm up before the session began. It was a mild evening although there was one very cold patch on the straight.</div>
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Only 7 of us turned up for the main session of training plus our speedy leader. Miranda had run early for the 8km with speedygeoff and Kelley had joined them. Miranda left after our warm up leaving Colin, Kelley, Kym, Margaret, Mick, Rod, speedychief and me. After our warm up loop our main session consisted of 400m fast loops of the oval with 400m slow running in the opposite direction between each rep. This was for a total of 30mins. Then we ran a warm down loop of the oval. Colin and Rod were much speedier than anyone else and were neck and neck most of the way.</div>
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<b>Total distance including my early warm up: 9km </b></div>
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It's a rare occurrence these days to be able to make it to the Dickson training as I often have the afternoon shift at work and as it's the other side of town it makes it impossible to make it in time for the session so I was particularly happy to be able to run with the speedygeese today!</div>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-9783185195149982362013-06-10T22:23:00.000+10:002013-06-10T22:23:43.422+10:00Speedygeese on a public holiday<div style="text-align: justify;">
After my push ups and planks this morning, I prepared lamb shanks for the slow cooker and put it on to cook for the day. Mr B and I then went for a swim at CISAC. It was busy when we arrived as it was Queen's birthday weekend and a public holiday but people were drifting off by lunchtime and it was a bit quieter for the last few laps. Initially I had a few problems with leaking goggles but finally I sorted them out and had a good swim - <b>1200m</b> in total. Mr B swam 1500m. Then I sat in the spa for ten minutes of luxury before we headed home. </div>
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This evening after visiting our grandchildren in the afternoon, I headed off for training at Parliament House. There were very few of us there tonight, only five plus our speedyleader - Andrew, Craig, speedygeoff, Jen, Me and Sarah - all fast runners, except this slow goose! Ewen had run 8km earlier with speedygeoff but left before the main session as he is only just returning to running. </div>
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We ran the usual warm up and then headed down to the lake through the tunnel. I was glad I was wearing a headlamp as in parts it was quite dark. Our main session was running from the other side of the tunnel up through it and on the grass up to the cone left by our speedyleader and jogging back to the start. The distance to the cone was 140m and it was on an incline which felt quite steep after a few repeats and my hammie complained! We repeated this 12 times, each on 2minutes. Then we ran back to our starting point at Parliament House.</div>
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<b>Total distance: 7.5km </b></div>
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Oh my, it was so lovely to arrive home to the smell of slow cooked lamb wafting out to greet me. Mr B had cooked the veges to go with it and after a quick shower dinner was served - mmmm, so yummy!</div>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-49083885341664187992013-06-09T23:08:00.001+10:002013-06-09T23:08:42.766+10:00Trailing the Hills<div style="text-align: justify;">
This afternoon, after a successful shopping expedition with Mr B, buying necessary homewares in the sales, we headed off with Teddy for an undulating trail run. I wanted to test my new Brooks Adrenaline trail shoes in some tough hilly conditions. We ran from home to North Lyneham ridge and over that through North Lyneham to O'Connor Ridge and round part of one of the vets' monthly handicap courses, returning past the AIS and home through the suburbs, off the hilly trails where I put Teddy back on his lead. He had a great run and I must say it was good to run the trails again as it's been ages. Gee I noticed all those hills though. Mr B was flying but I managed to keep him in my sights although he did have to stop and wait for me a couple of times.</div>
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<b>Total distance: 10km</b></div>
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<b>Time taken: 1:04 (yes, I was very slow on those hills) </b></div>
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<b>Average pace: 6.30</b></div>
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<b>Calories burned: 563</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running in the Parkrun on Saturday</td></tr>
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strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15856777.post-58679660973781934242013-06-08T21:39:00.000+10:002013-06-08T21:39:34.163+10:00No PB for me today<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last night I watched the movie The Green Mile on telly and I absolutely loved it. Trouble is it ended at 12.20am this morning (being almost 4 hours long) and my alarm was set for 5.55am - not much time for a good sleep! However I was up as soon as the alarm rang, did my planks, had a piece of white toast and half a banana and prepared for my 5km run to the start of the Gindy Parkrun. It was minus 2 degrees outside and I layered up with skins under shorts, t-shirt, long sleeved top, spray jacket, ear warmers, cap and gloves. At least I had warmed up by the start of the event. I met up with Marg there and Mr B was a volunteer. I stripped down to a t-shirt but kept on my long skins under my shorts and wore my earwarmers and gloves. I felt as though I was running well but my time definitely did not reflect this. After the Parkrun finished I chatted to a few friends before running back home. Marg ran well achieving a PB and was only a minute behind me. Next Friday night the goal will be an early night! Let's see if I can improve my time finally.</div>
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<b>Distance of Parkrun: 5km</b></div>
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<b>Time taken: 28:30</b></div>
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<b>Age percentage: 70.06%</b></div>
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<b>Place in age group: 1st (I'll have a shock if someone else runs in my age group)!</b></div>
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<b>Overall place: 80th (out of 111)</b></div>
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<b>Total distance of run: 15km</b></div>
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Once home I had a quick shower, donned my uniform and drove off to work for the rest of the day at The Runners' Shop.</div>
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<br />strewthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848968215605357021noreply@blogger.com1